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Oral feeding skills in premature infants: A concept analysis
Dyah Dwi Astuti1,2, Yeni Rustina3, Dessie Wanda3
1Postgraduate Program, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia.
Insights
This study clarifies oral feeding skills in premature infants, identifying five key attributes. Understanding these skills improves nursing care, discharge criteria, and infant growth.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Care
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Delayed oral feeding skills are a significant challenge for premature infants.
- Inconsistent definitions of oral feeding skills contribute to variations in nursing care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify the concept of oral feeding skills in premature infants.
- To establish a clear definition for improved clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Walker and Avant concept analysis method.
- Conducted a comprehensive literature search across five major databases (CINAHL, PubMed, ProQuest, EMBASE, Google Scholar) from January 2020 to December 2022.
Main Results:
- Identified five core attributes of oral feeding skills: suck-swallow-breathe coordination, oral-motor regulation, sensory regulation, physiological stability, and feeding behavior regulation.
- Defined antecedents (e.g., neurological immaturity, gestational age) and consequences (e.g., optimized growth, reduced hospitalization).
Conclusions:
- The concept analysis provides a robust framework for understanding oral feeding skills in premature infants.
- This framework can guide nursing care, inform discharge assessments, and optimize nutrition for improved infant outcomes.
Background:
The delay in developing oral feeding skills becomes a problem experienced by premature infants. One of the reasons for the delay may be related to inconsistent definitions of oral feeding skills, which can cause discrepancies in the provision of nursing care.
Objective:
This study aimed to clarify the concept of oral feeding skills in premature infants.
Methods:
The Walker and Avant concept analysis method was used. A literature search was also conducted from five databases: CINAHL, PubMed, ProQuest, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, to find articles between January 2020 and December 2022.
Results:
The literature search obtained 20 articles on oral feeding skills from various disciplines. Five attributes were developed from the concept analysis, including (1) coordination ability to suck, swallow, and breathe, (2) the ability to regulate oral-motor functions, (3) the ability to regulate sensory functions, (4) the ability to maintain the stability of physiology function, and (5) the ability to regulate feeding behavior. Antecedents to oral feeding skills include immaturity of the nervous system, gestational age, feeding intolerance, increased length of stay and cost of care, increased rehospitalization, stress on parents, and increased morbidity and mortality. Consequences include optimization of growth and development, reduction of length of stay and cost of hospitalization, increased bonding attachment, increased self-efficacy of parents in caring for premature infants, and improvement of the quality of life of premature infants.
Conclusion:
The concept analysis provides five comprehensive attributes and their antecedents and consequences. However, this concept can be used to provide nursing care to premature infants, assess the criteria for discharge, and optimize nutrition for the growth and development of premature infants.
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